Bonus– Saint Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889–c.1929)

In the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India, a young Sikh boy named Sundar Singh wrestled with despair. At sixteen, after rejecting the faith of his family and even attempting to take his own life, he encountered Christ in a vision. From that moment forward, he belonged wholly to Jesus. Dressed not as a Western missionary but in the saffron robes of a wandering Indian holy man, Sundar became known as the Sadhu—a spiritual seeker and teacher who carried the gospel barefoot across India, Nepal, and Tibet.

He was called the “Apostle with the bleeding feet,” for his journeys were long, his path often dangerous, and his body worn down by poverty and suffering. Yet his words were filled with simplicity and joy. He taught of Jesus as the Living Water, the One who satisfies the thirst of every heart. His parables and prayers were deeply shaped by Indian culture, yet they echoed the same gospel proclaimed by the apostles. In an age when many saw Christianity only through a Western lens, Sundar Singh revealed that Christ transcends culture, speaking to every people in their own tongue and tradition.

Sundar’s life still speaks to us today. He reminds us that the gospel does not erase who we are but fulfills it. Faith is not bound to one culture, language, or style of worship. Instead, Jesus calls each of us—whether in India, Africa, Europe, or America—to follow Him in the context of our own lives, bearing witness in ways that speak authentically to our neighbors. Sundar Singh’s example challenges us to walk simply, to suffer faithfully, and to share Christ with love in our own cultural moment.